Mystery Helicopter Lands In Enugu Govt House, Stirs Panic

Staff and occupants of the Enugu State Government House on Tuesday took to their heels when a mystery helicopter landed within the premises at about 11am.

Our correspondent learnt that the mission of the visitors was unknown to the government and it took security agencies about three hours to confront them.

After preliminary inquiries, Mr. Fidelis Ogarabe, the Chief Security Officer to Governor Sullivan Chime, handed the three occupants of the aircraft to the Enugu State Police Command for further investigation.

The occupants were two pilots and one engineer.

At the time of filing this report, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, could not pass detailed comments on the matter. Continue....

 He said, “We are trying to find out certain things from the occupants of the aircraft. We need to really find out what their mission was. I will issue a release when we must have done that.”

However, a police source who spoke to PUNCH Metro, said the occupants were indigenes of northern Nigeria. “With the equipment they had in their possession, we suspect they had come to place a bomb at the Government House,” said the police source.

Another police source said, “The occupants have refused to give us full details of their identity. Some of us here believe it is either a planned attack by Boko Haram members, or another attack by members of the Biafra Zionist Movement.”

It could be recalled that earlier in the year, about 50 BZM members, wielding machetes attacked the Government House.

By about 3pm on Tuesday, the state government had cordoned off the Enugu State Government House. Policemen were seen on guard in all corners of the state.

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Chukwudi Achife, in a statement on the issue, said: “At about 10.30 am (Tuesday), a helicopter bearing the markings of Aero Contractors landed without permission at the Governor’s lodge.

“The mission of the visitors was unknown to the government. After preliminary inquiries, the Chief Security Officer to the Governor, Mr. Fidelis Ogarebe, handed the three occupants of the aircraft – two pilots and one Engineer over to the State Police Command for further investigations”.


However, a source  that the pilot of the chartered helicopter mistook the Government House for the State House of Assembly complex where he was to land to convey the corpse of a deceased member of the old Anambra State House of Assembly, Sir Andrew Okonkwo Umeoji to his Aguata country home after a valedictory session held in his honour by the state lawmakers Tuesday morning.